Plum Frangipane with Almond and Crisp Puff Pastry

Why Plum and Almond Are a Perfect Match

Frangipane is a soft, buttery almond filling often used in French pastry for tarts and other baked treats. In this open tart, it forms a thin layer over the puff pastry: firm enough to catch the plum juices, but not so thick that the fruit fades into the background. Butter and sugar make the filling rich, egg helps it set as it bakes, and ground almonds give it a fine, slightly nubbly texture. The plums turn soft and juicy; their fresh acidity cuts through the sweet almond.

Plums are widely available from summer into autumn. Choose fruit that is ripe but still holds its shape when sliced. Very soft plums can release a lot of moisture as they bake and make the base less crisp. Colour doesn’t always tell you how ripe a plum is: gently press it to see if the flesh gives a little. Blue, red or purple plums all work. If they’re particularly tart, the tart will still be nicely balanced; very sweet ones make the result milder in flavour.

Puff pastry needs a hot oven to rise quickly and dry out its layers. A preheated baking sheet gives the base a head start. Keep the filling thin and leave a strip of pastry bare around the edge so it can rise visibly and bake until crisp. The pastry should go into the oven cold: warm puff pastry softens more quickly and may not rise into such distinct layers. The tart is ready when the edge is deep golden brown and the frangipane in the centre no longer looks liquid.

For convenience, use chilled ready-rolled all-butter puff pastry; frozen pastry works too, as long as you thaw it according to the package instructions and keep it cold. Ground hazelnuts can replace the almonds, although the flavour will be earthier and less classic. If you don’t have ground almonds, finely grind blanched almonds in a food processor, stopping before they turn into a paste. The tart is delicious on its own, but also with a spoonful of unsweetened crème fraîche or lightly whipped cream. Let leftovers cool, store them covered in the fridge and eat them within two days. Warm them briefly in the oven to crisp up the pastry again.